BASKETBALL

In the NBA, we’re in the thick of the first round, and things are getting very interesting.

In Washington, the Wizards came home up 2-0 in the series. They dropped the first game at home, but, more notably, they lost their star forward Nene to a suspension. Nene got tangled up with Jimmy Butler, and threw a swing. That was enough to get him kicked out of Game 4. But this didn’t affect the Wizards’ winning attitude, and they got the fire power they needed from their hot shooters Brad Beal and Trevor Ariza to blow by the Bulls in Game 4. They now lead the series 3-1, and are headed back to Chicago. Washington 98, Chicago 89.

In Golden State, all the news centered around LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racist rant from Saturday. Sterling was caught on tape saying awful things about African Americans — namely that he didn’t want his wife associating with them, and, of course, this triggered ire around the league. Magic Johnson, who was singled out by Sterling, said he would never attend a Clippers game again as long as Sterling owned the team. Even Michael Jordan came out saying Sterling’s acts were despicable.

So everyone wondered if the Clippers were going to protest by sitting out the game, refusing to play for their owner. But a move like that would give them an automatic loss, and they shouldn’t be penalized for Sterling’s horrible ways. They did, however, put their warm-up gear at center court in a show of solidarity, and didn’t show the Clippers’ moniker on their shirts in warm-ups. This showed that it was about ‘the team’, not the organization. Unfortunately for the Clips, Stephen Curry and the Warriors shot the lights out to even the series. Golden 118, LA Clippers 97.

And in Portland, the Houston Rockets were doing everything they could to even the series and gain back home court advantage. In a show of solidarity against Donald Sterling, both teams came out wearing black socks. This game went into overtime . The Blazers were gelling and had just a bit too much in them, pulling out the victory. The Blazers now head back to Houston up 3-1 in the series. Portland 123, Houston 120.